... but a link to a wonderful twitter thread about this song during and after WWI: https://twitter.com/pptsapper/status/1245549625727225859

It`s public domain?

I have an article written about Herbert L. Hoover and his "Little Hoover's Big Band",concerning this song, and its very interesting. I don't know who wrote it, or what it was written for, but it is very old.

"Meantime, Mr. Hoover had done much with his band, which at one time numbered 48 pieces. He had inaugurated concerts in the parks, which often drew as many as 4000 persons on Sunday afternoons; his musicians had helped dedicate the old Convention Hall, and frequently the group was dispatched into the immediate trade territory by Springfield boosters in order to promote the city.
It was on one of these trips that Mr. Hoover helped focus the national spotlight on Springfield, and gave a presidential candidate a campaign song."
"The late Frank D. McDavid, prominent Springfield attorney, was on the train returning the Springfield Boosters home and he started singing a tune to help keep the group awake, Mr. Hoover picked up on the beat on his cornet."
"By the time the delegates reached home the "Houn' Dawg" song was well on the way to popularity."
"Soon after, Springfield held a land congress, and Sidney Meyers, band instrument instructor at then Southwest Teacher's College, and E. O. Roark, both of whom were members of Little Hoover's Big Band, arranged the music for the "Houn' Dawg" song. No effort was made to copyright it, and Mr. Hoover always claimed that a St. Louis musician revised the music slightly, copyrighted it, and collected $10,000 in royalties, while he, McDavid, Roark and Meyers received nothing."
"At any rate, Champ Clark used the "Houn' Dawg" song extensively in his 1912 campaign, and when old Company K, Springfield's unit of the National Guard went to the Mexican border to help keep Pacho Villa on his own side of the Rio Grande, the snarpy, quick-step gained fame as a marching song. Missouri units in the 35th Division marched to the "Houn' Dawg" song during World War I, and today, of course, there is a Houn' Dawg regiment."

Thought this was cool, so I had to share. I am fairly sure this was written for the Springfield News and Leader, because Paul Hoover, H.L. Hoover's son, is the source. He did an article with them after Hoover Music Company was already at their current location on South Jefferson. Some of the article is the same as the one referenced above.

Awesome! I had diligently searched and searched some more trying to trace the genealogy of this tune after hearing a radically different version of it. The version I'm referring to is one performed by Bob Dylan and The Band from the sessions, if you'd even call em that, that spawned "The Basement Tapes". It's titled "You Gotta Quit Kicking my Dog Around" on the 6 disc boot "A Tree With Roots". The guys have absolute fun with the tune and it still doesn't sound half bad!!! Kudos to the uploader! I love the sound of late 19th early 20th music mediums!!!!

I grew up a "Houn Dawg" in Aurora, MO and have heard a version of this song all my life but never knew the full history. Our school mascot is a Houn Dawg - not a hound dog--a Houn Dawg! I remember my high school band director telling us, twenty-some years ago, a little of the history behind our mascot and fight song--at the time there was only one other school in the country with the same mascot (and they spelled it "wrong"), the sheet music for our fight song was in the Smithsonian, and of course the connection to the military and their adopted dog. I thought that was where it all began. I can't believe I just happened across all this information by accident. This is all so interesting! I can't wait to play the recording for some of the students!

When I was a boy, my grandfather would pop through doorways and shout this song out to scare the kids, then he would punctuate it with an extra loud dog yelp! I had assumed he picked it up from the army. Missouri Boy's comment has confirmed my suspicions.

Here's a completely different take on "You gotta quit kicking my dog around..." When I was stationed with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing during the Vietnam War, one of the pilots used to sing the song over the aircraft radio on the way back from a successful mission over the "north." The F-4 Phantom pilots were supposed to stay off the airwaves, but if the mission was a success, over the chatter of war would come:"Every time I go to town..." It's a two chord guitar song so I picked it up and brought it home as a song for my kid. Several years ago while visiting a Presidential Campaign exhibit at the Smithsonian, I saw the song, on sheet music, on display as the campaign song for presidential candidate, Beauchamp Clark.
A little while ago I was surfing the web and found a NY TIMES article from March 1912 that said that the Beauchamp Clark campaign song that is becoming a hit was actually a 15th century German childrens song. The original German words are almost identical to words we have here. Enjoy from the Missouri Boy.

This is very close to the version our family used to sing in Clay County, Arkansas during the 1920's and 1930's. In fact we have tapes of my grandmother and aunt singing this song. One of my very favorites and this is a great version to boot!

I used to listen to WWVA at nights on my Italian nonna's transister radio -- when I was a little brat living in da Bronx. On Saturdays, WWVA would smulcast (fancy shmancy word -- they didn't call it that back then) the Grand Ole Opry live -- man I loved hearing Grandpa Jones, the Carter Family, Minnie Pearl, and the others. I kept the radio under my pillow cuz me mudda wudda KILLED me if she'da hoid what I was listening to.

I was fascinated when "Mule Skinner Blues" (Fenderemen 1960) came out. I still sing it to myself occasionally.

Thems days of REAL music is gone forever, but thank God for recordings -- wax cylinder, round platter, tape and CD.

There here song about a Dawg has got my Bronx Brat seal of approval. Play it again Sam.

I as well grew up in the Ozarks, Everton, Boone County, AR. I've been a Hobo Traveling Folk Singer since 1990, but began playing & Singing in 1958. I am now Retired & living in Tijuana...I love these old tunes & ADAMANTLY refuse to "hear" the "Shineola" that permeates "radio" now-a-days! I was working in the Branson a few years ago...I had my OWN Radio Program in Springfield in 1963 & in Paris in 1962. (Paris, Arkansas!) I was "Interrigated" by the ONLY police feller in LONDON, Arkansas about 10 years ago, Me & my WOLF, DOG....or DOG; Wolf...were walking through, I tolf him "I'm going to Walk Across the Waters, I'm going from London to Paris..." He looked confused, until I told him "I went to High School in Paris, ARK!:" He got a Charge out of that! I sat at the Horse Auction (London) & played Banjo Reels to the CADENCE of the AUCTIONEER! I Love Misic that makes me "Tappy Toed!"

I sang this when I was a kid in the Ozarks- our jug band recorded it in a little studio in Branson with Andy Upchurch on piano (Fayetteville, Arkansas). I never knew where the song came from- everybody knew it, and a lot of other songs, & nobody considered concepts like "authorship"- everybody had their own verses, often extempore. I guess that's what "folk" music is. I never knew it was on a record from 1912.

Iffin ya ain't no redneck, fo gt it. Five stars for me. One star for normal people?